Manama: Bahrain's foreign minister has denied reports that Kuwait was mediating between the authorities and the opposition.
"Any talk about a Kuwaiti mediation in Bahrain is not true at all," Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa wrote on Twitter. "There were efforts in the past, but there was no response to them and they were over before the declaration of the state of national safety," he said.
On Sunday evening, Shaikh Khalid praised the Emir of Kuwait for his role in maintaining Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cohesion and strengthening relations, but warned against its exploitation by some parties in Bahrain.
Bahrain and Kuwait were awash with reports that the mediation would start in Kuwait City on Sunday and that they would be held under the auspices of the Kuwaiti foreign ministry.
According to the reports, Al Wefaq, Bahrain's largest political and religious society would be leading the opposition in the negotiations.
Kuwaiti daily Al Qabas, quoting senior Gulf sources, on Monday denied the existence of a mediation or initiative to launch a national dialogue about the situation in Bahrain.
"None of the reports about foreign mediations and initiatives for the dialogue is true," the sources said. "Bahrain is not keen on internationalising the issue and its top priority right now is security and stability. It is obvious that the right conditions are not available to start the dialogue."
